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Following description can be found in Ubuntu Software Center (Ubuntu 16.04 LTS) for Automake package:

Automake 1.15 fails to work in a number of situations that Automake 1.4, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11 and 1.14 did, so previous versions are available as separate packages.

Few questions arise from this:

  • Why are versions 1.12 and 1.13 not mentioned in the list?

  • Fact that 1.15 fails to work in a number of situation - is this a problem of Automake or integration-in-Ubuntu's one?

  • Description mentions previous versions are available as separate packages - where is that availability, GNU or other automake distribution servers or Ubuntu packages distribution system?

Fifi Cek
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1 Answers1

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All of those packages should be available in Ubuntu, for example as automake-1.14.

As for the fails to work in a number of situations comment, I would expect it's likely because Automake 1.15 changed something which broke compatibility, which has been common in the past.

As to why certain versions aren't listed there, that'd be a question that only the specific person who packaged automake (probably a Debian developer) could answer. Changes to packages in Ubuntu usually don't alter the package description, and you can see Debian has the same description.

dobey
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  • "Changes to packages in Ubuntu usually don't alter the package description" do you like to say with this "1.13 version got 1.12 version number" is one of all possible reasons? – Fifi Cek Mar 03 '18 at 22:59
  • "All of those packages should be available in Ubuntu, for example as automake-1.14" Me can only see, except for 1.15, the 1.11 one in Software Center. Ubuntu's new Software app does not offer any version, so wonderful this Ubuntu Software app is. – Fifi Cek Mar 03 '18 at 23:03
  • No, the versions are correct. I mean when Ubuntu makes changes to a package that's pulled from debian, the core features of the package are not generally changed. There are just additional patches for bug fixes, or integration, for example. – dobey Mar 03 '18 at 23:43
  • OK, then those are perhaps not in Debian either, and there is a bug upstream in the package description. That is simply a bug though. – dobey Mar 03 '18 at 23:44